The norris peters co



(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 1. E. B. GIBSON. RAILROAD CROSSING.

Patented Sept. 13, 1892.

(No Model.)

2 Sheets-Sheet 2. y E. B. GIBSON.

RAILROAD GRGSSING.

Patented Sept. 13, 1892.

UNITED STATES,

PATENT OFFICE.

EZRA E. GIBSON, CE CADILLAC, MICHIGAN, AssICNoR CE CNE-FOURTH To HARRYwoon, CE SAME PLACE.

RAILROAD-CROSSING.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 482,352, datedSeptember 13, 1892.

Application filed November 28, 1891. Serial No. 413,424. (No model.)

To @ZZ whom it may concern/.-

Be it known that I, EZRA B. GIBSON, a citizen of the United States,residing atCadillac,

in the county of VeXford and State of Michigan, have invented a new anduseful Interlocker or Railroad-Crossing, ofwhich the following is aspecification.

lhis invention relates to improvements in railway-crossings, the objectsin view being to provide an improved crossing to be employed at theintersection of two roads running at an angle to each other, and to soarrange said crossing that it will be impossible for the train of oneroad to cross the track of another at the same time that a train of theother road is crossing, even though negligence upon the part of thecrossing attendant should take place.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will appear in thefollowing description, and the novel features thereof will beparticularly pointed out in the claims.

Referring to the drawings, Figure 1 is a plan of a crossing constructedin accordance with my invention. Fig. 2 is a. partial plan andhorizontal section, the power-gearing and cover of crossing removed.Fig. 3 is atransverse section on line Jo os, Fig. 1, through thecrossing-timbers, the power being viewed in side elevation. Fig. 4 is adetail in perspective of the short shifting rail-sections and theirsupports.

Like numerals of reference indicate like parts in all the iigures of thedrawings.

1 designates the main rail of what I shall for the purpose ofconvenience term the north and south tracks of a given road. 2designates the switch-rail,and 3 the guardrails thereof.

4 designates the main rails of the east and west bound tracks, 5 theswitch-rails, and 6 the guard-rails.

Opposite the switch-rail of each tracknorth, east, south, and west-islocated a switch-stand 7,havin ga verticalswitch-mast 8, terminating atits upper end in a day and night target 10, adapted to display the usualcolors for open and closed switches. A disk 1l, secured to the mast,carries a pin 12, and to the same is loosely connected the outer end ofa switch-rod 13, the inner end being loosely connected with the adjacentswitchrail.

Some distance from each of the switchstands signal-stands 14 are1ocated,in each of which is journaled a vertical mast 15, carrying atits upper end day and night signals of ordinary construction. Near thelower end of the mast a disk 17 is mounted, andat diametrically-oppositesides thereof pins 18 are located, corresponding with similar pins 19,located upon the under side of each of the disks 11. Pivotal links 20are connected at their centers with the pins 19, and similar links 21are connected at their rear ends loosely with the pins 18 of the disks17, and the inner ends of the links 20 and 2l are connected bywire rods22. Between the east and south tracks there is in this instance locateda framework 23, comprising opposite vertical posts and an intermediatetable supported by the posts. Upon the table there is located agear-wheel 24, which is keyed to the upper end of a vertical shaft 25,journaled in the table and in a bearing 26, located under the table. Atransverse or horizontal shaft 27 is y mounted for rotation in thebearings 28, formed in the opposite posts, above the gear 24, one end ofsaid shaft beyond one of the bearings being provided with cranks 29,While near the other end thereof there is mounted on the shaft a smallgear or pinion 30, the teeth of which engage with those of the gear 24,and therefore by the rotations of the shaft through the medium of itscrank, rotary motion is iinparted to the vertical shaft 25. The verticalshaft 25 supports an upper disk 31 and a lower disk 32. The upper diskhas at diametrically-opposite Vsides upon its upper face bearing-pins33, and links 34 are perforated at their centers to loosely engage overthe same. Wire cables 35 connect the ends of said links with theadjacent ends of the links 20, attached to the disk 11 of thesouth-bound track, while a pair of cables 36 and 37 connect the oppositeends of the links with the ends of the links 2O of the north-boundtrack, and between such connections the cables are passed about suitableguide-pulleys 38, journaled loosely upon standards arranged at op- IOCposite sides of the north-bound track. These cables are composedprincipally of wire twisted into a cable, and at those points thereof atwhich the pulleys are crossed chain sections are provided. Cables 39 and40 lead from the inner ends of the links 2O ofthe east and west tracksto the opposite ends of' links 41, that are loosely pivoted at theircenters upon the pins 42 of the lower disks 32 upon the shaft 25, andthose cables 39 and 40 that lead to the links 2O of the east track arepassed about guide-pulleys 43, located at 0pposite sides of the easttrack. These cables, like the cables 36 and 37, are composed of wire,with chain sections at those points that v pass about the pulleys.

A rectangular frame 44 is located at the crossing of the rails below thesame, the four angles of the frame occurring coincident with the fourtracks, and beneath each intersection of the rails of the four tracksthere is journaled in the frame a vertical shaft 45. 'lhese shafts attheir upper ends have rigidly mounted thereon small disks 46, and eachdisk is provided with a pair of notches 47, formed in its innerperiphery, and also carries a small shifting section 48 of track. Acover 49 fits upon the frame 44 and is provided coincident with thedisks 46 with circular openings 50, through which the disks extend,whereby they are llush with the cover. Between each pair of disks shorttrack-sections 5l of the north and south bound tracks and similarsections 52 of the east and west bound tracks are located andare adaptedthrough the rotations of the short shifting sections 48 to formcontinuations of their respective tracks.

The shafts 45 each have mounted thereon within a recess formed intheside of the frame 44 a sprocket-wheel 54, and the four wheels of theseries of shafts are connected and encompassed by an endlesssprocket-chain 55. That shaft of the series located adjacent to thebeforedescribed power is provided with an extra sprocket-wheel 56 and isconnected to a similar sprocket-wheel 57, located upon the shaft 25,between the disks 3l and 32, by,

means of a sprocket-chain 57. It will now be obvious that movements ofthe shaft 25 will not only operate to close the switchesand open them,but also to display the signals indicating the switches to be opened orclosed, and will, furthermore,partiallyrotate the entire series ofshafts 45 in either direction and in accordance with said directionshift the short rails 48 either into alignment with the east and westtracks or north and south tracks, in accordancewith the desire of theattendant. It will thus be seen that at no time can both tracks be openand at no time can safety-signals of the two tracks be simultaneouslydisplayed at either side of the crossing, and that when thedanger-signal is displayed at one track the safety-signal is. displayedat the opposite track. This may constitute the crossing; but 1 havedeemed it expedient and desirable to devise a means for locking theshifting rails in either of their positions and` against any accidentaldisplacement by passing trains or otherwise. This means I will nowproceed to describe. f

Journaled in the north and south angles of the frame 44, immediatelybelow the cover 49, is a rock-shaft 58, the southern end of which isbent to form 'a crank-arm 59. Intermediate to its bearings and betweeneach pair of the disks 46 this rock-shaft is provided withlaterally-disposed oppositely-curved locking rockarms 60, the outer endsof which are designed to be thrown into engagement with either of thetwo notches of the two pairs of disks at the east and west sides of therock-shaft, and thus lock them, with their rails forming continuationsof either line of tracks.

Posts 6l support a cross-bar 62, adjacent to the switch-operating powermechanism, and in the cross-bar a vertical shaft 63 is journaled. Thisshaft carries at its upper end an arm 64, the outer extremity of whichis bifurcated and has loosely fitted thereinbetween a handle 65, adaptedto drop into and interlock with4 notches 66, formed in the edge of acurved locking-plate 67. A sprocket-wheel 68 is mounted on the shaft 63,near the bottom of the saine,andasimilarsprocket 69 is journaled forrotation in a double bearing at one side of the cranked end of therock-shaft and between it and the sprocketwheel 68, and is connected tothe latter by a sprocket-chain 70, so that movement of the shaft 63 isconveyed through the chain 70 t0` the sprocket 69, and it in turn,beingconnected by a pitman 7l to the free end of the crankarm of therock-shaft, will in its partial rotations convey a rocking motion to therockshaft, and thus lock or unlock the arms of the shaft with thenotched disks carrying the shifting rail-sections. The operation oflocking and unlocking will, as is therefore obvious, necessarily takeplace previous to any shifting of the shifting rails.

From the foregoing description, in connection with the accompanyingdrawings, it will be seen that by first unlocking the shifting railsthrough the mechanism described the crank-shaft of the power may berotated and in turn conveys motion to each of the signals andswitch-targets, turning those of the east and west tracks in onedirection, for instance, to indicate a clear road and safety, and thoseof the north and south tracks to indicate danger, at the same timeproperly shifting the switch-rails of each. By again unlocking theshifting rails andgiving the crank of the power opposite severalrotations the reverse of the described operation takes place, so that anengineer is notified whether he be traveling northward, southward,eastward, or westward, whether the track is con tinuous, and hence openfor travel,or whether it be closed for the passage of a train at anmasse` It will be obviouslthat gas-pipe or rods may be substituted forthe cables running from shaft 25 to the switches and that disks may besubstituted for the pulleys. In other words, I do not wish to limit myinvention to the exact details of construction herein shown' anddescribed.

Having described my invention, what I claim isl. In a railroad-crossing,the combination, with the intersecting tracks, of signal-stands locatedat the side of each track, target-masts journaled in the stands andterminating at their upper ends in signal targets, disks mounted on theshafts, pins located upon the disks at diametrically-opposite sides ofthe shafts, a power-frame, a vertical shaft journaled therein, a gear onthe shaft, upper and lower disks on the shaft, a transverse operatingcrank-shaft, a gear mounted thereon, links loosely pivoted at theircenters at diametrically-opposite sides of the upper and lower disks ofthe power, and cables, links, and rods leading from the opposite ends ofthe links to the pins of the disks of those signal-targets located atthe sides of the tracks disposed at a right angle to each other,substantially as specified.

2. The combination, with the intersecting tracks and the switch-railsthereof, of the switch-stands located opposite the switch-rails of thetracks, the switch-masts in the stands, the targets or signals at theupper ends thereof, the disks upon the masts, the'switch-rods looselyconnected to the switch-rails and to the disks, the power-frame, thevertical shaft therein, the gear at the upper end of the shaft, thetransverse shaft terminating in a crank and having a gear for operatingthe main gear, the upper and lower disks on the gear-carrying shaft,pairs of links pivoted at diametrically-opposite sides of each of thedisks of the power-shaft, and cables leading from the ends of one pairof links to the disks upon the switch-stands of the south and northbound tracks and from the other pair to those of the east and west boundtracks, and suitable pulleys located between the tracks, substantiallyas specified.

3. The combination, with the four intersecting tracks and the switchesthereof, of the switch and signal stands located at the side of eachtrack, each comprising a mast terminating at its upper end in a signaland a disk below the saine, pitmen connecting the disks of theswitch-masts with the switches, links pivoted at diametrically-oppositesides of the disks of each of the masts, rods connecting the links, apower-frame, a power mechanism mountedin the frame and adapted torot-ate, and cables leading from the ends of the links of theswitch-stands to said rotatable power mechanism, substantially asspecified. n

4. The combination, with the four intersectiii g tracks and theirswitches, of the switch and signal stands, the masts for the same, the

disks on the masts, switch-rods connecting the disks of theswitch-stands with the switches, links pivoted to diametrically-oppositesides of the switch-stand disks, links pivoted at their ends to thedisks of the signal-masts, rods connecting the two links, a power-frame,a vertical shaft mounted therein, means for operating the shaft, upperand lower disks mounted on said shaft, pairs of links .pivotallyconnected between their ends to diametrically-opposite sides of theupper and lower disks, cables leading from the opposite ends of thelinks of the upper disk to the links of the switch-disks of tracksrunning in one direction, and similar cables similarly connecting theremaining lower disk to thepair of angularly-disposed tracks,substantially as specified.

5. The combination, with the four intersecting tracks, of the framelocated at said intersection, the vertical shafts mounted 1n the framebeneath the intersections of the rails, the short shifting rails locatedat the upper ends of the shafts, sprocket-wheels mounted on the shafts,a sprocket-chain embracing the saine, a second sprocket-wheel mountedupon one of the shafts, a power-frame, a windingshaft therein, means foropeiating the same, a sprocket thereon, and a sprocket-chain encirclingsaid wheel and connecting withthe second sprocket-wheel of theshifting-rail-carrying shaft, substantially as specified.

6. The combination, with the intersecting rails and the intermediateframe, of the vertical shafts beneath the rails, the disks at the upperends of the shafts, the short shifting rails on the disks and notchesformed 1n the disks, mechanism for simultaneously operating the shiftingrails, the rock-shaft Journaled in the frame intermediate to the pairsof disks and provided with rock-arms adapted to interlock with thenotches of the disks, and means for operating said rock-shaft,substantially as specilied.

7. The combination, with the intersecting rails and the intermediateframe, of the vertical shafts beneath the rails, the disks at the upperends of the shafts, the short shifting rails on the disks and notchesformed in the disks, mechanism for simultaneously opeiating the shiftingrails, the rock-shaft j ournaled in the frame intermediate to the pairsof disks and provided with rock-arms adapted to interlock with thenotches of the disks, a frame having a curved notched locking-plate, ashaft journaled in the frame and terminating at its upper end in a crankhavinga pivoted gravity-handle for locking with the IOO p1ate,asprocketon the lower end ofthe shaft, In testimony that I claim the foregoing esA a crank on the rock-shaft, a sprocket located my own I have heretoaffixed my signature 1n 1o between the crank of the r0ek-shaft and thatthe presence of two witnesses. ot' the vertical shaft, a pitmanconnecting the 5 same with the crank of the rock-shaft, and a EZRA B.GIBSON.

sprocket-chain connecting the sprocket car- Witnesses: rying the pitmanwith that of the vertical H. M. DUNHAM,

shaft., substantially as specified. W. E. MCTAGUE.

